A Conversation With a Therapy Cat

The John Deere Madison Wellness Committee invited Dogs On Call to visit. It was a fantastic success with calm dogs and a cat who provided much needed time outside to enjoy their company. One of those therapy animals was a cat named Sir Huxley who lives with Erin H., a John Deere Acquisition’s Supervisor.

John Deere Processor Sarah H. got to have a sit-down with Sir Huxley and this is what he had to say.

Wouldn’t you rather be working for an organization called Cats On Call?

It doesn’t bug me that I work for Dogs On Call. It goes to show that cats breathe rarified air. There are 120 dog teams in Madison and (last I heard) only 2 cat teams. Not that dogs can count.

Is it easier working with teenagers?

It’s not easy working with teenagers because they have “attitude.” Normally that is something we cats admire, but in adolescents, not so much. They sit back and fold their arms over their chests and say they don’t like cats. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! It’s up to me to prove them wrong, so I do. By the end of the visit, when my partner Erin is ready to leave, they don’t want me to go!

My favorite person to visit so far was Lady Lucy. She was 99 years old and in hospice care. She didn’t care if I took a nap while Erin and the nurse talked. I took a nap, Lucy took a nap… awesome visit!

What would you say is your job description?

My job description: Purr. Purr. Purr. Allow people to worship me as the god I am. Purr. Purr. Purr. Pet Partners says it is “Touching lives and improving health through the power of therapy animals.” They left out the worship part, though, and that’s where I get my job satisfaction.

Do you have a favorite part of being a therapy cat?

My favorite part of the job is THE WHOLE JOB. When Erin gets out my harness, I know I get to go to work and I get all excited. I don’t like the car ride, but once we get to our destination, I get to ride in my stylin’ turquoise blue stroller. Then I get attention lavished on me for an hour or two. And when I get home, Erin plays laser tag with me. My job is the whole package.

What is the most interesting thing to happen on the job?

The most interesting thing that happened on the job was when I was working at Barnes & Noble East Towne to help holiday shoppers destress. I got to work with a Maurice, the therapy bunny. People are shocked to see a cat working with dogs and even more shocked to see a cat working with a bunny. Maurice is a very cool bunny. We hit it off fabulously.